


Gem Dust to Gem Dust

by GalacticTravelers



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Corrupted Gems, Gen, fangem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4101154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticTravelers/pseuds/GalacticTravelers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This takes place a few hundred years after the Great Gem War. The Crystal Gems still have a few working squadrons that are doing the work of Rose Quartz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gem Dust to Gem Dust

It’d been a few hundred years since the great gem war. Most of Rose’s forces that survived had a new task at hand eliminating any hostile Homeworld gems that were left behind.  They were at the point where still a good chunk of soldiers were out there doing the work of Rose Quartz, healing and protecting this planet. Many squads had lost many members but they still managed.

Chalcedony sat down on the grassy hill looking out over the valley near her base. It’d been a few weeks since their last mission but she was beginning to think it was because her teammate needed a break. The last mission was hard, they found a corrupted gem they knew, or at least someone Rhodonite knew. Chalcedony could understand that pain, she’d lost many friends but not like that. She lost her friends on the battlefield so long ago.  She let out a hefty sigh thinking about it and started to pick at the grass getting handfuls and just dropping them back down not hearing the light footsteps behind her.

“Dony.” The voice was familiar but much softer than usual.

Chalcedony turned herself in the grass slightly and looked up at Rhodonite, a small, “Hmm?” humming out.

Rhodonite just sat beside her and quietly began to speak. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant the past few weeks.” She began the paused before continuing. “I just, it was rough, seeing Citrine like that.”

Chalcedony didn’t know how to respond she just nodded and reached her hand to Rhodonite’s back patting it trying to console her friend. Rhodonite sighed softly and looked out at the field trying to think.

“It’s alright! We’re still a team, and we’ll still be a team when you’re ready to go back out there.” Chalcedony said smiling at Rhodonite.

Rhodonite looked back to Chalcedony and apparently those were just the words she needed to hear.

“Thank you.” She said softly and hugged Chalcedony before getting up. “I’m gonna head back inside.”

“Okay well you know where to find me.” Chalcedony said playfully. Rhodonite nodded and headed back to their small headquarters that was carved into one of the grassy hills.

The door for the rooms glowed with Rhodonite’s gem, it made small splotches before it opened with a pink light. She slipped off into her room and Chalcedony was left outside again. She didn’t know how else to handle this and it was getting difficult. Chalcedony also wanted to help her friends when they were like this emotionally but it was hard when the problem was so real. She sighed and lay back on the ground with a plop. She looked up at the clouds before closing her eyes just trying to not think about anything.

She stayed there for a long time she could see the light change through her eyelids, it got dark and then light then dark again. She heard the sound of the room door opening again and opened her eyes looking over to see Rhodonite walking out with a packed bag on her back. Chalcedony jolted up and quickly stood and ran over to Rhodonite.

“Hey!” She called happily. “Time for a mission?” She asked smiling up at Rohodonite.

Rhodonite looked down at the ground kicking at the dirt alittle. “You’re not coming.” She muttered.

“Excuse me?” Chalcedony questioned putting her hands on her hips.

“Dony! I’m done with this, I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m leaving and you’re not coming.” Rhodonite said sharply.

“Why not!” She protested.

“Because you like doing this! You like protecting the earth from, us, from gems Dony. I can’t do it anymore. You’re good at this please stay.” Rhodonite looked down at Chalcedony eyes pleading.

“But we’re a team. Did that mean nothing to you? I told you we were a team and I was going with you!” Chalcedony started to ball up her hands into fists.

“I’m sorry please ju- just let me go.”  Rhodonite cracked out.

“Fine.” Chalcedony clenched her fists so hard her knuckles were white. She looked down at the ground and watched Rhodonite’s feet falter for a moment before she turned around and left.

Chalcedony stood there angry for a while before she even moved and when she did she growled under her breath and punched the nearest thing which happened to be the wall of the entrance to the headquarters a good chunk of wall chipping out.

Over the next few weeks things were quiet enough. A few missions here and there but it was hit or miss without Rhodonite. Chalcedony still did her best and had actually collected a few more gems. She thought she was getting along just fine without Rhodonite. She didn’t need her that’s what she convinced herself. It was a lie.

She went out on a mission, she’d been hearing a lot of ruckus in the nearby woods thinking maybe there was a corrupted monster out there. She set out on the small walk the tall grass brushing against her thighs while she headed to the forest. When she got to the tree line she could hear the birds loud and actively chirping. She smiled and continued deeper into the woods. As she got deeper she started to realize the birds songs stopped resounding. Feeling uneasy Chalcedony pulling her kukri out from the gem on her chest and began treading very slowly through the woods. The woods just got more silent as she went on the tall trees making every shadow more fearsome. Chalcedony was alert and she nearly jumped her height in the air when there was a rustle nearby. She gripped her weapon tightly and moved close to the movement. There was a growl and Chalcedony gulped. She approached more and a huge beast launched from under the bushes lunging at Dony. She dodged jumping up seeing the massive hole the monster was hiding in below the brush. She landed on a tree branch looking down at the confused beast.

It was very large and a deep green color, spikes protruding from its back. It moved its head to eye down Chalcedony before it hunched its back rapidly shooting the spikes at its target in the trees. Chalcedony jumped to the tree behind her hiding behind the trunk her heart pounding. She hadn’t fought a corrupted gem this big since Rhodonite was with her. Her heart pounded, she was far too small to take this thing on by herself. She needed a team member.

She was shaking and could hear the monster head-butting trees, the tall trees starting to snap and fall out of the way while it looked for Chalcedony. She was trying to think, a sky attack wouldn’t work because of the spikes and there was no way she was going to try and attack it dead on. She was looking all around for a way to get one up on this beast. Meanwhile it saw Chalcedony in the tree and started to back up for a head-butt. Dony was desperate she looked around on the ground and spied the hole the creature jumped out of.

“That’s it!” She said figuring out her strategy.

She jumped from the tree and into the hole while the corrupted gem charged to the tree. She dipped into the hole with just enough time to spring back up at the charging beast cutting it straight through the belly. The beast poofed into a cloud of light green dust and a gem lay glittering just outside the hole. Chalcedony walked towards it picking it up in her shaking hands. She bubbled the gem and sunk to the ground just trying to take in what happened. She sat there for a while and listened as the wildlife noises slowly started to travel deeper into the trees. She got up still wobbly from the encounter and made her way back to her headquarters, her weapon still drawn just in case.

When Chalcedony got back to her home she opened her door walking in and plopping onto the soft feathery floor. She thought about her day and how much easier it would have gone if she had Rhodonite, how much easier all of this would be with her. She pulled her knees close to her heaving chest. She just let it out, this wasn’t easy and it wasn’t easier going in this alone. Dony didn’t know if this whole thing was worth it anymore. If she kept going at this by herself she’d end up like the gem she fought today. This realization hit hard and she stopped crying all together, just lying there she didn’t know how to cope with this thought. She stayed inside for a few weeks ignoring any call to action.

Chalcedony’s eyes snapped open when she heard a loud rumble and felt the headquarters shake. If this was some type of tectonic shift it was out of the ordinary, Dony’s heart sunk, this was no earthquake.  She stood up and her gem glowed, the door to her room dropping down in front of her she hesitated before exciting the room. She drew her weapon as she looked out into the hollowed out hillside of her headquarters, the warp pad undisturbed. Walking out cautiously she made her way close to the entrance of the hole when a large creature’s foot stomped down into view shaking the ground again. Soon followed by more feet and a long slinky body, Dony’s eyes widened. Her heart pounding she couldn’t do it this time. She didn’t think and ran out of headquarters trying to get away from this situation. Her labored breathing alerted the beast and it hissed eyes locking on its prey.

She gripped the handle of her kukri subconsciously at this point forgetting it was in her hand. The beast screeched and started its winding walk in pursuit of Chalcedony. She turned around to look at the beast, this proving to be a mistake she froze in fear seeing it. Its belly and legs black and its back and head a dark pink. She didn’t see a gem and she didn’t know how to attack it. She couldn’t fight if she wanted to she couldn’t move. It moved closer to her saliva coming from its mouth as it looked down at the petrified gem lunging down and swallowing her whole.

Chalcedony had clenched her eyes shut at the lunge attack from the monster only opening them to find she was not damaged and still alive. Everything inside glowed pink giving her a small amount of light to figure she was in the belly of this beast. She sat still for a while feeling the beast move around before she summoned her kukri that had disappeared in her panic. She shook and held the curved blade with both hands before plunging it down in to the gut of this monster a shriek shaking its entire body. She pulled back, her gem starting to glow with her anger the kukri growing in size before she plunged it back down it tearing through the flesh of the creature damaging it enough to destroy it.

Dony couldn’t see anything but the white smoke from the monster’s explosion. Slowly the land came into view, a gem making a dip in the tall grass. Slowly and shakily Chalcedony crawled over to the dip her eyes widening as she looked down at the gem. She picked it up her hands and body shaking so hard she dropped the gem back down. There on the ground sat an oval shaped pink gem with black streaks running through it. It’s possible maybe she was trying to find her way back home.

 


End file.
